ROGAINING AN AUSTRALIAN SUCCESS STORY
What sport takes place on full moons, was invented in Australia, and now extends worldwide?
The answer is ‘rogaining’. It’s a navigational activity where teams of between two and five travel (traditionally on foot) to visit checkpoints using only a map and compass. Each of the checkpoints is given different point values, and the goal is to collect as many points as possible within a given time frame. The sport is not entirely dissimilar to orienteering, but while orienteering is undertaken individually, rogaining is a team event. Also, unlike classic orienteering, where checkpoints must be visited in a specified order, rogaining teams can visit checkpoints in any order they choose. It means there is wide dispersal of competitors across the map, and it also means strategy is a key element of rogaining.
Teams start at the same time, and the distribution of the checkpoints, each with different point values, determines overall route choice. Competitors must also factor in the bush to be encountered,
